Monthly Archives: March 2016

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last couple of weeks, it was for good reason. I, finally, moved into the new house! Move in day was last Thursday and I spent the last couple weeks either packing, unpacking, or playing in City of Ottawa Bonspiel (though I didn’t win an event this year….only reached an event semifinal). It has been a busy couple of weeks. It has also been a busy couple of weeks for news coming out of Walt Disney World. Let’s take a look at what has been announced.

Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Green Loop. Today we are taking you on a virtual tour of Epcot’s World Showcase.

Our neighbors to the north, Canada, have one of the most visual pleasing (at least in my opinion) pavilions in the World Showcase. It is full of great architecture and a stunning garden.

photo courtesy of Disney nouns

With no meet and greets, or quick service restaurant and only just the O Canada! film to capture people’s attention, most people consider Canada to be just a “pass through” pavilion. But it’s not. There is so much to see, do, and photograph in this pavilion.

First, O Canada! film was updated in 2007. This is a recent upgrade by EPCOT World Showcase standards when you go to France and see the same Impressions de France that debuted when EPCOT opened in 1982. Martin Short narrates the journey through Canada and Canadian culture and even includes a Winter Olympic sport which I participate in on the recreational level….curling.

Canada did have one of the top music acts in the World Showcase, Off Kilter. But their contract was not renewed and Disney has had a hard time finding something to replace them. Originally, a Canadian Lumberjack show replaced the musical act but faced a lot of resistance from guests who did not approve of the change.

Then another musical act, Canada Holiday Voyagers, came in for the 2015 Christmas season but their run just came to an end so Canada is left without any entertainment.

So let’s leave the negative behind and focus on the positive of this pavilion. The Victoria Gardens are a mini year-round Flower and Garden Festival as they provide a majestic sight as guests walk down to Le Cellier for lunch or dinner.

photo courtesy of rolling with the magic

Guests at Le Cellier are treated to one of the best meals, in my opinion, in one of the World Showcase’s most intimate settings. The restaurant has one of the smallest dining capacities at Walt Disney World making reservations hard to get. A few years ago, Disney increased the number of Disney Dining Plan table credits that Le Cellier costs from one to two. This has alleviated some of the pressure on getting a reservation but not a lot.

The building which houses Le Cellier, Hotel du Canada, is modeled after the iconic Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa, Ontario and the Victoria Gardens, in front of Le Cellier,

This is a pavilion that is definitely worth walking around and exploring. There are plenty of things to see and photo opportunities to get. There are three 30-foot high totem poles in the pavilion which make wonderful photo opportunities. Guests have used these poles to “measure children’s growth” from Disney vacation to Disney vacation.

Now, if Disney could add a quick service restaurant to this pavilion which could make guests stick around the pavilion a little bit longer that would perfect. If Tim Horton’s could work out a licensing deal with Disney to create that quick service location that would be even more perfect.

For more info on Epcot’s World Showcase,
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!

We move away from the past and flash to the present with Disney’s latest animated movie, Zootopia. This critically-acclaimed film is tearing up the box-office with a $73.7 million opening weekend.

It is a very funny movie for both kids and adults. The themes of the movie are complex but explained in a manner that kids, of all ages, can understand them. But, at least for my family, Zootopia is an important movie because it is the first Disney movie where a rabbit gets to play a starring role.

My daughter is a massive rabbit fan (she even hopped to meet Thumper and Miss Bunny when she met them a few years ago). She has been looking forward to this movie for months. Judy Hopps may have moved to the top of her list of favorite Disney characters. Judy is a young, energetic, and full of determination. A role bunny for children to look up to. Ginnifer Goodwin brought that energy to Judy throughout the entire picture.